Nice company with resources for entrepreneurs.

Yinglan,

I would like to expand my professional contact network to include Business Development, Venture Capital and Business Financing & Investment professionals. In particular, I seek connections that have any involvement with the development, use, or process of Business Plans, Business Financing & Investment or Due Diligence.

I am in need of the opinions and comments of frontline business professionals. After viewing your LinkedIn profile, I would like to add you to my network.

Christopher Mathis
Strategic Director for “Funding Roadmap”
www.fundingroadmap.com
fundingroadmap@yahoo.com
1-941-266-3862

I really like this company which has a lot of potential in the gaming space.

2Evolved Pte Ltd is a company that specializes in the development of high quality, innovative games that
focus on gameplay, storytelling and scalability for the worldwide market. The company plans to
manufacture and distribute products that captivate the masses with story content through animations,
novels and e-books.

Just a few highlights on the traction I've achieved so far..

1. Hooked up with another game company that is taking my license to produce an online browser game on their own expense. We will do cross marketing between the online game and the physical TCG. We'll both earn thru profit-sharing.

2. Got a media company to produce a 3-min animated trailer worth at least SGD $230K at their own expense so that I can pitch to TV Networks like Disney Asia and Warner Bros.

3. Gotten DC Comics interested to produce and distribute a comic series based on the Men At Sea IP. Currently still in discussion but it looks pretty positive.

Cheerios
Cedric
2Evolved Pte Ltd

Worth exploring this venture lending model, a hybrid between venture capital and traditional lending



Team


The Plenus team prides itself on its dynamic make up of operational and financial experts from the technology industry. Their combined expertise strengthens the team's ability to identify successful businesses and work fast to deliver the optimal financing solution for its customers.



INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS:

Moti Weiss Managing Partner and Co-Founder

Ruthi Simha Managing Partner and Co-Founder

Shlomo Karako General Partner

Lee-Bath Nelson General Partner

Timor Arbel-Sadras Senior Principal

Guy Altberg Principal


OTHER PROFESSIONALS:

Ziv Ben-Barouch Chief Financial Officer

Orit Yeffet Controller

Elana H. Barzilay Legal Counsel

Yael Paz Director of Marketing and IR

Iris Orlovsky Office Manager




INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS:



Moti Weiss Managing Partner and Co-Founder


Moti founded Plenus in 2000, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in high tech corporate and financial management. Previously, Moti was instrumental in turning around Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS), a global software company. Under his leadership, annual sales doubled to approximately $100 million while the company achieved high profitability. As COO, and CFO of Oshap Technologies, a software product developer for engineering and financial services, Moti oversaw the IPO's of Oshap and its subsidiary, Tecnomatix Technologies. SunGard Data Systems acquired Oshap for $220 million. Moti previously served as Chief Economist and CFO of Teus Ltd., a holding company engaged in mergers and acquisitions. In 2000 Moti co-founded Plenus, Israel's pioneer venture lending fund. Under his leadership, Plenus has raised four different funds, saw 9 significant exits and extended its offerings to Mezzanine loans.

Moti holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics, Tel-Aviv Business School

Email: motiw@plenus.co.il



Ruthi Simha Managing Partner and Co-Founder



Ruthi Simha is a veteran of venture lending in Israel with approximately 20 years of experience in high technology investing. Previously, Ruthi was the Manager of Bank Hapoalim's high tech finance division where she established the banks venture lending activities, making Hapoalim the first Israeli bank to take such an initiative. During her tenure at the Bank, accumulated a portfolio of over 60 startups and a credit portfolio of over $1billion servicing large Israeli enterprises. In 2000 Ruthi co-founded Plenus, Israel's pioneer venture lending fund. Under her leadership, Plenus has raised four different funds, saw 9 significant exits and extended its offerings to Mezzanine loans.

Ruthi holds a BA in Economics and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Tel-Aviv University

Email: ruths@plenus.co.il



Shlomo Karako General Partner


Shlomo brings to Plenus 20 years of financial experience. Previously Shlomo was with Sapiens (NASDAQ:SPNS) holding positions of Corporate Controller, Finance Director and Vice President of Sapiens' activities in Israel. Prior to Sapiens he was an auditor at Porat & Co., a leading Israeli accounting firm.

Shlomo holds a BA in Economics and Accounting from Tel-Aviv University as well as a Masters Degree in Science and Management from the Polytechnic University in New York. Shlomo is a Certified Public Accountant in Israel.


Email: momik@plenus.co.il



Lee-Bath Nelson General Partner


Lee-Bath brings to Plenus over 15 years of hi-tech and business experience. Lee-Bath has been a venture capitalist for the past 4 years, including managing TDA Capital Partners' Israel-focused venture capital fund, and close involvement with TDA's India-focused venture capital fund. She is an active board member of several private hi-tech companies. Previously, Lee-Bath was a consultant to BRM and a Professor of Corporate Finance at NYU's Stern School. Prior to that she held various R&D positions at IBM and Intel in Israel.

Lee-Bath holds a BA (summa cum laude) and an MSc in Computer Science from the Technion, as well as a PhD in Business from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

Email: lnelson@plenus.co.il



Timor Arbel-Sadras Senior Principal


Timor has 10 years of hi-tech and business experience. Previously, Timor worked as a strategy and marketing consultant both as a freelancer in Israel and at Valoris Consulting in Spain. Timor consulted to some of Europe's leading telecom, media and technology firms on projects ranging from growth strategy to market entry and distribution channels. Prior to that, Timor worked for Intel in various project leader and project analyst positions, including overseeing the launch readiness of the Centrino chipset in the Mobile Processors Division.

Timor holds a BSc (Cum Laude) in Industrial Engineering from the Technion, and an MBA from ESADE Business School, Barcelona, Spain.

Email: timora@plenus.co.il



Guy Altberg Principal


Guy has 10 years of hi-tech and business experience. Prior to joining Plenus, Guy held several positions at Comverse (Nasdaq: CMVT) in development, marketing, and sales culminating in a Sales Manager position. In this capacity, Guy managed EMEA high-end product sales and handled deals ranging from $0.5-10mm in countries such as Italy, Holland, and France. In addition, as a project manager, Guy worked with Vodafone (CZ), Optimus (PT) and other Telcom operators.

Guy holds a BSc (Cum Laude) in Computer Science from CUNY Queens College in NY, and an MBA from Ben Gurion University.

Email: guya@plenus.co.il



OTHER PROFESSIONALS:



Ziv Ben-Barouch Chief Financial Officer


Ziv brings to Plenus over 15 years of financial and hi-tech experience. Prior to joining Plenus, Ziv served as Chief Financial Officer for Spacenet Inc., a leading US-based provider of wireless and hybrid broadband services. Prior to that, Ziv was the lead Financial Officer at ClearForest, a Plenus portfolio company specializing in text-mining software (acquired by Reuters Nasdaq:RTRSY). Ziv also spent 6 years in a senior management capacity with The Kibbutzim Creditor Arrangement Ltd an Israeli banking and government consortium managing over $1bb of distress debt.

Ziv holds a BA in Economics and Accounting from Tel- Aviv University and an MBA in finance from the City University of New York. He is certified as an Israeli CPA.

Email: ZivB@plenus.co.il



Orit Yeffet Controller


Orit brings to Plenus over 15 years of financial experience. Previously, Orit served as the Sapiens foreign Holding Companies' Accountant (NASDAQ: SPNS).

Orit holds a degree in Sociology and International relations from Bar-Ilan University and a second degree in Accounting and Economics from the Open University of Tel-Aviv

Email: ority@plenus.co.il



Elana H. Barzilay Legal Counsel


Elana has over 10 years of legal counseling experience in the Israeli hi-tech market. Before joining Plenus as the firm’s Legal Counsel, Elana worked as an Associate at Naschitz, Brandes & Co, one of Israel's leading law firms. During her 10 years at Naschitz, Brandes & Co., Elana specialized in commercial law, and had been involved in many high-tech transactions including: M&A, venture capital, venture lending as well as mezzanine transactions. Prior to her full-time position at Plenus, Elana served as one of Plenus' external legal counsels in the majority of the funds’ transactions, beginning with Plenus’ first venture lending fund in 2000.

Elana holds an LL.B from The Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, and a BA in Philosophy and Jewish Studies from Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Email: elanab@plenus.co.il



Yael Paz Director of Marketing and IR


Yael brings to Plenus over a decade of marketing and investor relations experience in the Israeli hi-tech market. Before joining Plenus, she was Director of Investor Relations at ECI Telecom (previously NASDAQ: ECIL), one of Israel's largest hi-tech tech firms, and prior to that, Director of Corporate Communications at Optibase (NASDAQ:OBAS) where she was responsible for the company’s marketing communications and investor relations activities worldwide.

Yael holds a BA in Economics from the Tel Aviv University.

Email: yaelp@plenus.co.il



Iris Orlovsky Office Manager


Iris brings to Plenus over 20 years of experience. Previously, Iris worked at Tadiran in various positions specializing in the fields of advertising, public relations, and HR. During this time, she led a number of employee training and recruiting programs, as well as special event planning and co-ordination.

Iris holds a BA in Economics and International Relations from Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

Email: iriso@plenus.co.il

Many of the companies in which I invest spend more money than they make for considerable periods of time. Given the early stage at which I invest, this is neither surprising nor necessarily concerning (even those companies that could be cash flow positive if they so chose, often go negative in an effort to accelerate their growth). Nonetheless, it is an important factor with which I must deal as I try to help my portfolio companies move forward. After all, at some point any company burning more cash than it makes will have to acquire more money or go out of business.

The typical route for venture backed startups to bring more money into the company is to do a equity financing. The management of that company goes out and pitches various investors and, with any luck, sells equity in the company in exchange for some number of millions of dollars (that process is repeated as many times as is necessary until the company turns cash flow positive, is sold or goes out of business -- even the much coveted IPO is just another sale of equity for cash and if the company remains cash flow negative it will still ultimately need to do a secondary or it too will go out of business).

In the alternative, one way that a company can extend its runway without selling additional equity is to borrow money. There are a number of potential sources of debt for early stage companies. To my mind, the key issue for any company considering debt financing is whether or not the debt will actually extend that company's runway. Often times, proposed Debt will bring money into a company when it is already cash rich (usually shortly after a equity financing) but will bring with it a payment schedule that does not in fact give the company any more time before it runs out of money. In those circumstances, it is hard to see how borrowing the money makes economic sense.

There are, however, circumstances in which debt makes a pile of sense for a company. I recently received a newsletter from Lighthouse Capital that spoke directly to the issue. A buddy of mine named Anurag Chandra, who is a Managing Director at Lighthouse, wrote an article on how one may reasonably assess the appropriateness of venture debt for your company. I found the article to be a valuable overview of the issues at hand and Anurag has kindly agreed to let me reprint it here. So without further ado, here are Anurag's thoughts on venture debt.

There is no question that in today’s fundraising environment, capital efficiency is paramount. Ray Lane, among other industry leaders, has commented that a software startup should require no more than $20-25 million to achieve positive liquidity. This means that today’s entrepreneur needs to stretch every dollar to achieve success.

Making equity dollars last is particularly important – since they come at the high price of forking over a percentage of company ownership. Although the price is high, these precious equity dollars are often a critical factor in an emerging company’s success. Yet taking this equity investment means accepting painful dilution due to the low valuations given to companies at this early stage. So what’s the alternative?

Enter venture lending
Venture lending offers a low-cost method for venture-backed companies to leverage fixed assets and their enterprise value to get more runway out of their equity dollars. These types of loans can give a young company the extra time and resources needed to reach major product or customer milestones. And, being able to achieve important milestones such as shipped product or securing a first customer can provide real uplift in valuation and significantly reduce dilution at the next VC financing round.

Venture lending is usually offered in two forms: “growth capital” and equipment financing. Growth capital provides operating capital that can assist in product development, product or geographic expansion, acquisition of complementary technologies, or just about any key operational imperative. Typically the cost of such capital is interest, along with principal, paid over a fixed period of time (generally 24-48 months, depending on the company’s risk profile) and a small pledge of stock warrants. There may also be a “final payment,” which helps the lender earn the appropriate risk adjusted yield, but pushes off the cash outlay by the borrower to a future date so it doesn’t have to part with precious (and typically more expensive) dollars in its early years. Some flexible providers are even willing to structure deals that provide companies with a period of interest-only payments to help preserve cash at critical junctures for a company. Meanwhile, equipment financing allows a company to borrow against the equipment it purchases, such as computers, manufacturing equipment or other assets, and frees up the equity dollars that would have otherwise been spent to obtain such items for higher value add use, namely research and development or sales and marketing. Like growth capital loans, the lender receives monthly payment of principal and interest plus warrants and possibly a final payment.

Both forms of venture lending are available to promising early-stage startups backed by top-tier venture capitalists, usually when they are still cash flow negative. Venture loans may either help you raise less equity than you otherwise would have or help you increase the total amount of capital available to your enterprise with less dilution. From a financial planning point of view, venture loans can be an attractive insurance policy. If there’s risk that critical milestones may slip, having the ability to borrow and extend runway so those milestones can be safely achieved insures a trip to the equity fundraising market with a better valuation. If the milestones are not in jeopardy and you ending up not borrowing, your worst case is to have given away warrants that typically amount to less than one or two percent of dilution. (Compare this to raising money at a lower valuation by having to go to market with those significant milestones not achieved).

Bank loans vs. venture loans
Established companies leverage their balance sheet assets through typical asset based debt products offered by commercial banks. Venture lending is territory that most banks are wary to enter because early-stage companies just represent too much risk for traditional banks because such companies have no tangible assets. Typical bank financing is tied to receivables. You must have sales revenue and probably “meaningful” sales revenue to attract bank financing. Even then, an established company with a steady, predictable revenue stream can use accounts receivable financing at best to smooth out cash needs, not leverage its enterprise value to extend runway. For a company that is cash-flow negative or just starting to achieve revenue, it’s worse because it’s tough to rely at all on a formula based A/R line for expansion and growth. If you miss a monthly or quarterly revenue projection, chances are you’ll have less in receivables than anticipated and may have to pay down your outstanding on your accounts receivable line of credit.

Having said that, there are banks that offer venture loans to early-stage companies. But be careful. At smaller dollar amounts bankers can convince their credit committees and the federal regulators that monitor their bank to make “aggressive” venture loans, but it is with the understanding that the goal is to grow the lender into a traditional commercial credit, replete with financial covenants and asset-based borrowing, which box in a company. Either it’s the proverbial “banks are only willing to lend you money when you don’t need it” or it’s that the typical slippage in a startup’s projections necessitates a talk with the banker about “waiving” a covenant violation. Banks also typically require young companies to maintain their deposits with them and require a “right of offset” in the loan agreement. This right of offset can be used by the bank at its discretion to pay down the loan in an event of default.

Independent venture lending providers, particularly ones that are private companies, have the ability to structure flexible deals that give you true runway extension. And, the better funded ones can support their companies with these structures at higher dollar amounts and through a startup’s maturation process. The established venture lenders also know how to evaluate and manage the risks involved in dealing with early-stage companies. They are willing to take a lien on a company’s assets when no real assets exist in anticipation of success.

Less expensive in the long run
Perhaps the greatest benefit of venture lending is that it injects money into a business without heavily diluting the equity stake of the entrepreneur or venture capital investors. While equity dollars are necessary in financing a company’s development and a typical prerequisite to obtaining venture loans, they come at the high price of sharing significant ownership. Venture loans can be a real aid that can enable an early-stage company to have access to low-cost capital and minimize entrepreneurs’ and VCs’ dilution. An added benefit for VC’s is that they can improve their ROI on a given deal by encouraging their portfolio companies to take on a responsible mix of debt along with their equity dollars.

Consider this example. A communications startup determined that they needed a round of financing totaling $47 million, of which $8 million would be needed for equipment. They evaluated whether it was in the company’s best interest to finance the equipment using debt or equity. In other words, they were weighing whether they should raise $47 million from VC’s, or $39 million from VC’s with the expectation of financing the additional $8 million of equipment through a venture lease. After taking a careful look at options, they concluded that the larger equity sum would cause significant dilution that would be costly to company employees at time of liquidity; meanwhile the venture lending route would preserve more of the employees’ stake in the company and simultaneously create a stronger balance sheet.

Choosing a venture lending partner
When considering venture loans, it is important to ask key questions that will determine if the provider is going to offer you the flexibility and resources needed to help finance growth of your company.

Important questions include:

Is the lender really offering you cash runway? Or do they require cash balances equal to the amount your borrowing? Will most of the loan be paid back before you run out of cash? It’s important to examine exactly what the lender is offering. If the deal comes with too many restrictions, chances are you need a more flexible partner that will work with you to structure a deal that accommodates your company’s specific needs.

Does the lender have a track record of supporting its companies through various market cycles? Every startup has hiccups. The need to restructure debt can happen to the most promising of companies. Ask your lender for case studies or referrals where they’ve demonstrated an “investor's mentality” of supporting its companies through various market conditions.
If the lender is a bank, is it their ultimate goal to help you achieve market success or is it to grow you into a traditional commercial credit customer? Beware of the limitations of commercial banks that claim to offer venture loans. Often times, they will finance an initial deal, but their goal is grow you into a commercial credit customer. Plus, they are burdened with heavy regulations that make it difficult to offer the kind of flexibility that startups often require.

Does the provider understand your market and your requirements for success? While venture lenders don’t take board seats and offer the same level of day-to-day guidance companies as venture equity investors, it is critical not to underestimate the importance of the partner with whom you'll be working. The better he or she understands your business and the market you are playing in, the less likely they are to view your success or promise

Not surprisingly, Anurag, as a venture lender, puts a positive spin on the debt world. I believe that both debt and equity can serve a company well. The crucial question is how much the money will cost (in equity, interest, management time, etc.) and will it materially increase a company's options.

The crux of innovation is on the jockey, not the horse. A smaller horse helps.

Innovation & Enterprise

Innovative firms or innovative owners? Determinants of innovation in micro,
small, and medium enterprises (World Bank, May 09)
Author: de Mel, Suresh ; McKenzie, David ; Woodruff, Christopher ;
Abstract - Innovation is key to technology adoption and creation, and to
explaining the vast differences in productivity across and within
countries. Despite the central role of the entrepreneur in the innovation
process, data limitations have restricted standard analysis of the
determinants of innovation to consideration of the role of firm
characteristics. The authors develop a model of innovation that
incorporates the role of both owner and firm characteristics, and use this
to determine how product, process, marketing, and organizational
innovations should vary with firm size and competition. They then use a
new, large, representative survey from Sri Lanka to test this model and to
examine whether and how owner characteristics matter for innovation. The
survey also allows analysis of the incidence of innovation in micro and
small firms, which have traditionally been overlooked in the study of
innovation, despite these firms comprising the majority of firms in
developing countries. The analysis finds that more than one-quarter of the
microenterprises are engaging in innovation, with marketing innovations the
most common. As predicted by the model, firm size has a stronger positive
effect, and competition a stronger negative effect, on process and
organizational innovations than on product innovations. Owner ability,
personality traits, and ethnicity have a significant and substantial impact
on the likelihood of a firm innovating, confirming the importance of the
entrepreneur in the innovation process.
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2009/05/18/000158349_20090518125334/Rendered/PDF/WPS4934.pdf

I love the Fab Lab

Fab Lab brings MIT tech transfer ideas to Wisconsin businesses
Joe Vanden Plas
July 30, 2008

Appleton, Wis. - Fabrication Laboratories, or Fab Labs, are an exercise in
global technology sharing spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, and a Wisconsin technical college is putting an entrepreneurial
spin on them.

It's that entrepreneurial piece that has MIT's Sherry Lassiter visiting Fox
Valley Technical College to learn more about the “Take it to Market”
business model of FVTC's Fab Lab, and to get ideas for expanding other Fab
Labs, now used in educational settings, to accommodate inventors that want
to commercialize their ideas.

In northeastern Wisconsin, dozens of inventors are using the lab and taking
advantage of the mentoring services of a team of engineers with the hope of
translating their ideas into business. The FVTC facility is the first of 30
global Fab Labs to have a special focus on entrepreneurs and developing
businesses, and MIT has taken notice.

Fab Labs, a program of the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, are predicated on
the idea that ordinary people can apply industrial-grade fabrication and
electronics tools and stimulate innovation with virtual reality,
simulation, modeling and rapid prototyping. In Appleton, Lassiter plans to
explore the possibilities of Fab Lab business development.

“I'm out here to see their model and to see if we can understand ways that
this might propagate throughout the rest of the [Fab Lab] network,” said
Lassiter, program manager of the Center for Bits and Atoms.

Digital Fabrication

There are several business drivers for the FVTC Fab Lab, including the
desire to help more of the intellectual property developed in the state
stay here. To augment the lab for entrepreneurs, the FVTC Venture Center
has created different packages of business services.

Amy Pietsch, director of the venture center, has visions of a Fab Lab at
every technical college in Wisconsin. FVTC already has established a
Midwest Fab Lab Network with the Ohio-based Lorraine County Community
College and Century College in Minnesota, and has partnered with the
University of Wisconsin-Stout, a polytechnic university with research
projects in nanotechnology and genomics. FVTC's strongest relationship is
with a Fab Lab in Norway, whose director and staff visited Appleton last
August.

Existing businesses also rely on the lab. Motion Products in Neenah, for
example, restores rare European sports cars and is using the lab as its R&D
facility.

“I think we're discovering that the Fab Lab is just a powerful, integrating
mechanism,” said Jim Janisse, director of the lab. “We now have
relationships with Fab Labs around the world, and we're already seeing
exchanges of products and ideas.”

Radical innovation

While its focus is on affordable, early-stage prototyping, Pietsch said the
FVTC lab is not competing with businesses that offer prototyping services
to established companies. In addition to taking inventors through the new
product development process, Pietsch hopes the lab will drive “not just
incremental innovation, but radical innovation.”

Lassiter believes access to Fab Labs, which she called a means to create
and innovate, is going to change the way people think about business and
intellectual property. The idea behind Fab Labs, she noted, is to
democratize intellectual property.

“I think Fox Valley and MIT are sitting on threshold of a new era,” she
said, “and I think it's going to very exciting.”

Agree that the aircraft example is an extreme one (business justifications
aside) and everyone who buys Airbus still wants products assembled in
Toulouse, not Tianjin. Who knows? Could be that Airbus Tianjin produces
for domestic customers? Given the stringent engrg specs that guide the
industry, should be fine. The point is: what are we doing with all this
know-how we have amassed over time, have we found the means to cast it in
different ways. Do we even aspire to? I suspect the answer is not
resoundingly affirmative. Most Singaporeans are quite content to be Google
engineers, not Google founders (present company excluded, of course :-))

Maybe what we need is a mega project a la China's space program or Egypt's
pyramids to capture the imagination of a nation, inspire a generation and
spur innovation.

In our discussions with various EDB groups, we've invariably hit the same
wall: Singapore is an excellent spot to set up an MNC outpost, RHQ or rep
office, etc, We supply a good, reliable, dependable, knowledgeable
workforce, adept at timely flawless execution, but we are still somehow
unable to make that leap into the big league, ie. to be that location where
the next big must-have gadget, fashion-piece, inter-galactic aircraft, gene
therapy, LED TV, etc. is created. Is it because we have relied on a
strategy to import capability, rather than create it locally? Not that
that is a bad approach. Good jobs are created, FDI secured. Then when we
incrementally move up the value chain into the realm of R&D, the picture
becomes much less coherent.

We need the full plethora of R&D activities:
(For sharing:) (See attached file: R&D Classification
Matrix(af).xls) (adapted and modified from my past life... :-)

If you look at the matrix, Singapore does have most of the ingredients,
except that there is no single organisation with the entire value chain.
Most technology MNCs will have all R&D types from Type I through to Type
VI, in-house en suite. In the Singapore context, Type I is with the
Universities, Type II with the RIs, Type III absent or totally weak (but an
important central link to translate ideas into products), Type IV & V with
private sector (to serve their own P&L-driven needs), and Type VI can be
anything from Tech Svc to Patent Attorneys. So in our approach to import
capabilities, we have ignored developing our own.

And let's please further define entrepreneurs beyond the Ya Kuns, OCKs,
Breadtalk, C&K, 77th Street, Qianhu. Let's move into the league of
Nokias, Boeings, Apples, Googles... Granted we do have some shiny examples
too (e.g. SQ, Banks, ?), and even some technology offerrings like Creative,
Trek and Chartered (all three have seen better days). To add more color to
this, as at 2006, Singapore has a mere 7 companies with annual revenue
>S$1B per million population. Other similar small economies like Finland
(20) and Norway (26) have far more. We can do better. We need
technopreneurs.

Marrying the interests of inventors and investors, either thru a web portal
or a coffee joint, is definitely the way to go. Smart & hungry people
talking to other smart & hungry people will light flames. The key is to
create a thriving product (could even be as lame and expensive as a swanky
pink handbag) that generates more revenue than the coffee joint that
facilitated the union. :-)

More good news to open up the IPO pipeline

NASDAQ Contemplates a Pre-IPO, Early Stage Index
via VentureDen Funding Tips by Daniel Cimera on 5/8/09

In March of 2009, the tech stock trading group, NASDAQ, approached the SEC to request rule changes that would allow them to open an unregistered venture capital market. The new unregistered market would allow qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) and accredited investors to trade ownership stakes in startup and fledgling pre-IPO companies.



The rule that that NASDAQ is attempting to modify would open safe-harbor exceptions to accredited investors as well as QIBs. Currently, accredited investors may trade on an unregistered market, but may not resell for six to twelve months, creating potential liquidity hardship. The safe-harbor rule extension to accredited investors would provide better liquidity and transparency to venture capital markets.



Where Did All the IPOs Go?



The last few years have proven to be a detriment to the IPO market. Since many startup and seed companies backed by venture capital have an IPO exit strategy, the VC industry has suffered in this vital U.S. economic industry. In fact, only one venture-backed company has made an initial public offering on the NASDAQ over the last 12 months!



Some experts say that many VC firms are still investing in startup companies but avoiding an IPO by simply selling them to already established and larger public companies. That may not be what many entrepreneurs and business startups had in mind when they approached the VC firm for capital financing, but with most VC firms taking a majority stake in startups, entrepreneurs usually have no choice.



What NASDAQ is Attempting to Accomplish



With the rule change in the unregistered market, accredited investors, such as VC firms, could have more freedom in exchanging securities and have much more liquidity help. It does not, however, fix the problem of attracting retail investors needed for small cap market stocks.



The SEC has shown to be receptive to changes in regulatory rules in order to improve the market for smaller companies. During the last few years, the SEC has adopted changes in trade rules that were recommended by smaller business and the small business trading community.



How the New Rule Could Benefit the Economy



The new trading rule changes could ultimately help the economy. Since the decline of the IPO market, there have been fewer economic drivers to replace the lost investment engines. The fact is that in 2008 venture capital returns outperformed both the NASDAQ and S&P 500 indexes. While the public trading indexes saw losses of around –22%, VC saw positive, though modest, returns in early seed and later stage VC companies.



A freer unregistered market would open up more trading in pre-IPO companies. Since VC backed companies have historically been a major driver of the NASDAQ market, it is important to maintain ways to continue the capital formation of new companies and enhance trading in capital markets.

Hello Yinglan,

Thank you for your past interest in iVation, LLC. To keep you abreast of iVation’s progress, I want to make sure to update you periodically.

In the past couple weeks we have solidified distribution in 6 States with Dewmar International. The six States include Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. We now have access to over 20,000 stores, 10,000 Direct Store Delivery (DSD) accounts and 10,000 Wholesalers in our distribution network.

We have already shipped product to Dewmar International and they are going to start selling immediately.

We also have 4 representatives in Southern and Northern California who will be selling our FIVE FORTY products (both our all natural sports drink and energy shot) in the coming month.

Last week we had a presence at ‘BevNET Live Event’ in New York City. Please see http://www.bevnet.com/news/2009/5-18-2009-bevnet-live. Out of 60 new companies that were there, we stood out with our unique brand and position. We got amazing feedback regarding the taste, unique bottle design and overall brand. We were one of the very few companies that hardly had any product left at the end of the event. We were also one of the only companies that had distribution channels lined up for success.

We are currently looking for our A round of $1 Million to expand and grow within our already large distribution network. We are very excited that we have accomplished this huge milestone. If you are interested about investing in the opportunity, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Also, if you know anyone that may be interested, please feel free to pass this email along.

Thanks so much for you consideration,

Tony Hanak
Founder & CEO
Cell# 415-722-5859
tonyhanak@drink540.com
www.drink540.com


Hello Yinglan,

Thank you for your past interest in iVation, LLC. To keep you abreast of iVation’s progress, I want to make sure to update you periodically.

In the past couple weeks we have solidified distribution in 6 States with Dewmar International. The six States include Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. We now have access to over 20,000 stores, 10,000 Direct Store Delivery (DSD) accounts and 10,000 Wholesalers in our distribution network.

We have already shipped product to Dewmar International and they are going to start selling immediately.

We also have 4 representatives in Southern and Northern California who will be selling our FIVE FORTY products (both our all natural sports drink and energy shot) in the coming month.

Last week we had a presence at ‘BevNET Live Event’ in New York City. Please see http://www.bevnet.com/news/2009/5-18-2009-bevnet-live. Out of 60 new companies that were there, we stood out with our unique brand and position. We got amazing feedback regarding the taste, unique bottle design and overall brand. We were one of the very few companies that hardly had any product left at the end of the event. We were also one of the only companies that had distribution channels lined up for success.

We are currently looking for our A round of $1 Million to expand and grow within our already large distribution network. We are very excited that we have accomplished this huge milestone. If you are interested about investing in the opportunity, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Also, if you know anyone that may be interested, please feel free to pass this email along.

Thanks so much for you consideration,

Tony Hanak
Founder & CEO
Cell# 415-722-5859
tonyhanak@drink540.com
www.drink540.com

Calling all enterprising students, aspiring entrepreneurs, curious onlookers and anyone else who wants to turn his/her ideas into the next big thing. The much-awaited Start-Up@Singapore 2009 Awards Ceremony is finally here!

Join us at the culmination of Singapore's most anticipated nationwide business plan competition on 30 May 2009, to catch a glimpse of some of the most innovative and promising business plans that made it to the Finals this year. Highlights include pitches by the winning teams and insights by our panel of distinguished judges from the entrepreneurship scene.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports will be gracing the Awards Ceremony as Guest-of-Honour. Judges, Mentors and Sponsors of Start-Up@Singapore 2009 will also be present at the Ceremony. Take this opportunity to mingle and interact with our esteemed guests and learn what it takes to create a winning business plan.

Start-Up@Singapore 2009 - Awards Ceremony
Date: 30 May 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 3.30pm - 5.00pm
(Registration starts at 2.30pm. All guests to be seated by 3.15pm)
Attire: Business Casual
Venue: Shaw Foundation Alumni House Auditorium, National University of Singapore [Map]

Click here to RSVP now!
For enquiries, email: info@startup.org.sg

Qian Yu

Principal / Shanghai Office Chief Representative

Download Podcast

Qian Yu joined Fidelity Asia Ventures in 2004. She focuses on investments in the communications, Internet, media and emerging technologies & services.

Prior to Fidelity, Yu spent 5 years in the telecommunications industry. From 1997 to 2002, Yu gained extensive knowledge and experience at Huawei Technologies where she took managerial roles in various departments including marketing, R&D and business development. She also worked in Optech, a telecommunications start-up as director of sales and marketing in 2002.

Yu received her MBA degree from the Wharton School of Business. She holds M.S in engineering from Tsinghua University and B.S in engineering from Zhejiang University.


About Fidelity Asia Ventures

Introduction

Fidelity Asia Ventures (FAV) is the Asian venture capital arm of FIL Limited.

At Fidelity Asia Ventures our mission is to invest principally in high-quality, high-growth companies in the Asian information technology and healthcare sectors, focusing primarily on opportunities in China.

We have offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, and a successful track record of investing in leading companies in the region, particularly China, over the past 14 years.
Global Resources and Reputation

As one of the largest mutual fund organisations in the world, Fidelity is an affiliation of two separate, privately owned companies: FMR LLC in the United States and FIL Limited outside the United States. Fidelity has operations in over 35 countries and over 21 million customers, bringing significant global resources and expertise to its Asian venture capital activities.

In the US, Fidelity Ventures invests in technology companies at the "Go-To-Market" stage. Its 40-year track record includes hundreds of successful investments including industry leaders like Atari, Continental Cablevision, MCI, Nextel, Teleport Communications and ROLM.

Fidelity Biosciences, based in Cambridge, has a diverse portfolio of promising early-stage biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies, including EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, FoldRx, Mersana Therapeutics, Microbia and US Genomics.

In addition to its capital and brand name, Fidelity has a range of strategic capabilities and assets that contribute to its venture activities. The Fidelity organisation spends over US $2.5 billion a year on technology and related business process initiatives and acts as a strong early-adopter for several of its venture capital portfolio companies. Furthermore, Fidelity has founded and backed leading telecommunications companies in Europe, Japan and South America including COLT Telecom and KVH Telecom. In turn, these regional carriers have become valuable customers and partners to other Fidelity-backed companies.

Globally, the Fidelity brand stands for deep commitment, contribution and integrity in all of its investment activities. Fidelity actively seeks ways to leverage its global information technology and life sciences expertise through its venture capital activities.
Asian Expertise and Track Record

Fidelity Asia Ventures has actively invested in both the information technology and healthcare sectors in Asia for more than a decade.

We typically invest in a company at an early stage and devote tremendous time and energy working with entrepreneurs to maximize their success. Portfolio companies in the past include: Alibaba, Hurray (NASDAQ: HRAY), AsiaInfo (NASDAQ: ASIA), Dianji Technology, Wuxi Pharmatech, Zhongsou and Asia Renal Care. We typically invest between US $2 and 10 million per round and are active Board members for the companies.

Our investment team in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai has decades of experience in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, we have significant operational and entrepreneurial capabilities and understand both the excitement and the challenges of running businesses in China and other growing Asian markets.

We look forward to talking to dynamic entrepreneurs about utilizing Fidelity's extensive global resources and deep local expertise to maximize the success of their companies.

Qian Yu

Principal / Shanghai Office Chief Representative

Download Podcast

Qian Yu joined Fidelity Asia Ventures in 2004. She focuses on investments in the communications, Internet, media and emerging technologies & services.

Prior to Fidelity, Yu spent 5 years in the telecommunications industry. From 1997 to 2002, Yu gained extensive knowledge and experience at Huawei Technologies where she took managerial roles in various departments including marketing, R&D and business development. She also worked in Optech, a telecommunications start-up as director of sales and marketing in 2002.

Yu received her MBA degree from the Wharton School of Business. She holds M.S in engineering from Tsinghua University and B.S in engineering from Zhejiang University.


About Fidelity Asia Ventures

Introduction

Fidelity Asia Ventures (FAV) is the Asian venture capital arm of FIL Limited.

At Fidelity Asia Ventures our mission is to invest principally in high-quality, high-growth companies in the Asian information technology and healthcare sectors, focusing primarily on opportunities in China.

We have offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, and a successful track record of investing in leading companies in the region, particularly China, over the past 14 years.
Global Resources and Reputation

As one of the largest mutual fund organisations in the world, Fidelity is an affiliation of two separate, privately owned companies: FMR LLC in the United States and FIL Limited outside the United States. Fidelity has operations in over 35 countries and over 21 million customers, bringing significant global resources and expertise to its Asian venture capital activities.

In the US, Fidelity Ventures invests in technology companies at the "Go-To-Market" stage. Its 40-year track record includes hundreds of successful investments including industry leaders like Atari, Continental Cablevision, MCI, Nextel, Teleport Communications and ROLM.

Fidelity Biosciences, based in Cambridge, has a diverse portfolio of promising early-stage biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies, including EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, FoldRx, Mersana Therapeutics, Microbia and US Genomics.

In addition to its capital and brand name, Fidelity has a range of strategic capabilities and assets that contribute to its venture activities. The Fidelity organisation spends over US $2.5 billion a year on technology and related business process initiatives and acts as a strong early-adopter for several of its venture capital portfolio companies. Furthermore, Fidelity has founded and backed leading telecommunications companies in Europe, Japan and South America including COLT Telecom and KVH Telecom. In turn, these regional carriers have become valuable customers and partners to other Fidelity-backed companies.

Globally, the Fidelity brand stands for deep commitment, contribution and integrity in all of its investment activities. Fidelity actively seeks ways to leverage its global information technology and life sciences expertise through its venture capital activities.
Asian Expertise and Track Record

Fidelity Asia Ventures has actively invested in both the information technology and healthcare sectors in Asia for more than a decade.

We typically invest in a company at an early stage and devote tremendous time and energy working with entrepreneurs to maximize their success. Portfolio companies in the past include: Alibaba, Hurray (NASDAQ: HRAY), AsiaInfo (NASDAQ: ASIA), Dianji Technology, Wuxi Pharmatech, Zhongsou and Asia Renal Care. We typically invest between US $2 and 10 million per round and are active Board members for the companies.

Our investment team in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai has decades of experience in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, we have significant operational and entrepreneurial capabilities and understand both the excitement and the challenges of running businesses in China and other growing Asian markets.

We look forward to talking to dynamic entrepreneurs about utilizing Fidelity's extensive global resources and deep local expertise to maximize the success of their companies.

Interesting venture in the retail payment space.



Hello Tan;



Thanks for the add. If I recall correctly, you asked me to send you some information on my company. The following link gives you the elevator pitch we're using today, when talking to potential investors:



If you want further information, please don't hesitate to contact me.



Best regards,

Helgi Viggosson.



PS: Links to some product info:

Cofus – An Elevator Pitch

Cofus is a start-up company, which has been developing Customer Intelligence based loyalty marketing and sales solutions for retail, during the past 4 years.

Its key product, Cofus Commerce Server (CCS), is a comprehensive suite of revenue generating application components for retailers, which are easy to integrate into current environments. A strong competitive edge, apart from supporting the conventional e-channels, is a focus on enabling the most important channel, the brick and mortar store itself, by transforming the cash register into an advanced e-commerce device by the means of the CCS EPOS plug-in which facilitates a comprehensive integration to the CCS backend and the online world. The flagship CCS component, AMR (Automatic Marketing for Retail), enables retailers to deliver targeted, personalized messages to customers in the store – on a receipt, at the register, by follow-up e-mail, on the web, by digital signage or on any appropriate device in the store. By using advanced data mining and artificial intelligence technology Cofus AMR can precisely target customers according to their purchasing history, and other relevant data such as demographics, or on the content of their shopping basket, ensuring that the offer will be well received.

NTC, the largest fashion retail chain in Iceland (18 prime location stores), has already installed CCS for its loyalty club (NTC+ Club), and been in operation since early 2008.

Currently Cofus is working on a fast-track sale process to sell its solutions to one of the payment services companies in Iceland, based on a proposal about establishing a loyalty community for all cardholders and major retailers in Iceland – probably the first social loyalty marketing scheme to be established, where the Web 2.0 is integrated to the physical world, backed by a sound revenue plan. It will be a unique in many other aspects, e.g. by utilizing the features of the CCS Profile Management system to enable collaborative (open-loop) loyalty schemes, and private ones, as well as mixture of both, thus bringing best of “both worlds” benefits to the stakeholders. The goal is to establish a stimulating reference case, which will open the doors for Cofus, at payment services companies all over the world.

Some bullet points:

· The plan

· Implement an exceptional reference case in Iceland with one of the major payment services company in Iceland – 6-9 months

· Business planning and preparation for international sales

· First round financing – new investors possibly invited

· Road Show among potential international buyers – the Icelandic credit card company’s international network exploited

· Important facts

· Iceland is the best test market possible for a solution like this:

§ Has the highest payment card usage per capita in the world

§ Concentrated modern society with all of the infrastructure elements of larger societies

§ Over 90% of the population has an Internet-connection – 96% of the age group 20-29 has an account on Facebook

· Only handful of competitors who provide similar solutions for the payment services industry. The CCS solution offers many important features which none of them has.

· This is a large market, and almost recession proof, since people don’t cease to use their payment cards, even though the situation gets though – which actually motivates them to join loyalty/reward schemes according to a recent study.

· Revenue models which can be built on the CCS solution are excellent for the payment services company, and other stakeholders.

· Upfront cost for the payment company can be slashed, and revenue-sharing model used instead, which should make the sale cycle shorter

Interesting venture in the retail payment space.



Hello Tan;



Thanks for the add. If I recall correctly, you asked me to send you some information on my company. The following link gives you the elevator pitch we're using today, when talking to potential investors:



If you want further information, please don't hesitate to contact me.



Best regards,

Helgi Viggosson.



PS: Links to some product info:

Cofus – An Elevator Pitch

Cofus is a start-up company, which has been developing Customer Intelligence based loyalty marketing and sales solutions for retail, during the past 4 years.

Its key product, Cofus Commerce Server (CCS), is a comprehensive suite of revenue generating application components for retailers, which are easy to integrate into current environments. A strong competitive edge, apart from supporting the conventional e-channels, is a focus on enabling the most important channel, the brick and mortar store itself, by transforming the cash register into an advanced e-commerce device by the means of the CCS EPOS plug-in which facilitates a comprehensive integration to the CCS backend and the online world. The flagship CCS component, AMR (Automatic Marketing for Retail), enables retailers to deliver targeted, personalized messages to customers in the store – on a receipt, at the register, by follow-up e-mail, on the web, by digital signage or on any appropriate device in the store. By using advanced data mining and artificial intelligence technology Cofus AMR can precisely target customers according to their purchasing history, and other relevant data such as demographics, or on the content of their shopping basket, ensuring that the offer will be well received.

NTC, the largest fashion retail chain in Iceland (18 prime location stores), has already installed CCS for its loyalty club (NTC+ Club), and been in operation since early 2008.

Currently Cofus is working on a fast-track sale process to sell its solutions to one of the payment services companies in Iceland, based on a proposal about establishing a loyalty community for all cardholders and major retailers in Iceland – probably the first social loyalty marketing scheme to be established, where the Web 2.0 is integrated to the physical world, backed by a sound revenue plan. It will be a unique in many other aspects, e.g. by utilizing the features of the CCS Profile Management system to enable collaborative (open-loop) loyalty schemes, and private ones, as well as mixture of both, thus bringing best of “both worlds” benefits to the stakeholders. The goal is to establish a stimulating reference case, which will open the doors for Cofus, at payment services companies all over the world.

Some bullet points:

· The plan

· Implement an exceptional reference case in Iceland with one of the major payment services company in Iceland – 6-9 months

· Business planning and preparation for international sales

· First round financing – new investors possibly invited

· Road Show among potential international buyers – the Icelandic credit card company’s international network exploited

· Important facts

· Iceland is the best test market possible for a solution like this:

§ Has the highest payment card usage per capita in the world

§ Concentrated modern society with all of the infrastructure elements of larger societies

§ Over 90% of the population has an Internet-connection – 96% of the age group 20-29 has an account on Facebook

· Only handful of competitors who provide similar solutions for the payment services industry. The CCS solution offers many important features which none of them has.

· This is a large market, and almost recession proof, since people don’t cease to use their payment cards, even though the situation gets though – which actually motivates them to join loyalty/reward schemes according to a recent study.

· Revenue models which can be built on the CCS solution are excellent for the payment services company, and other stakeholders.

· Upfront cost for the payment company can be slashed, and revenue-sharing model used instead, which should make the sale cycle shorter

Hi Tan, Celeste here… :) I see you are from the Singapore area…. that's nice! Never been there, but hopefully one day I will have the chance to travel too… :) I'm sure I can still be of value to you on my side of the world, especially because of my industry... :)
I'm based in Edenvale, Johannesburg, South Africa... just 2 minutes from the International Airport to be exact, and the reason I made contact with you is because I'm launching a BnB Guest House, and would love to extend to you the invitation to utilize us whenever you are in the area... :) Especially when you want a special "run-away" spot for special occasions.... :) You know what they say... "a change is as good as a holiday!" :)

Well, I'd like my Guest House to become for you & your family or colleagues… literally a "home-away-from-home", where you are happy to be, comfortable and relaxed, whenever you travel up to Jo'burg. A place that is fun, flexible & safe to be in, without loosing the "perks" of living a "catered for" life-style :) I've tried hard to bring about a unique combination of ALL that, here in my OWN home.

We are a typical friendly South African family, including the granny and kids, hehehe (so definitely the "home" feel is there) that have a small but effective & beautiful Guest house, that boasts 3 x Double bedrooms-en suite with FULL bathrooms. It is private because it is situated in a "boomed-off" area, in a safe neighborhood, and rooms are separate from the main house, ensuring privacy within the environment as well. Breena BnB Guest House, is situated in Harmelia, Edenvale, just 2 minutes from the Airport, but OUTSIDE the "noise/landing zone" of the planes, that offers a "Bed and Breakfast" service, (AND offers dinner facilities if necessary), to travelers that want something more than just the "impersonal" hotel life style, experienced by most travelers, most of the time. It’s a place to "share space and enjoy good company" be treated like you ARE someone special! :)

I've combine a feel of "African Lodge" with the standard & professionalism of "Hotel" and combined it in a unique way that offers "up-market, catered-for accommodation" with a good, healthy dose of South African friendly hospitality!
Our rooms ( + 20m2+) boast Queen beds, tastefully decorated for the "discerning" corporate guest with a flare of Africa and a dash of luxury, LCD T.V.'s with full DSTV & DVD surround sound systems, bar fridge with Tea/coffee tray, hairdryer, Wireless internet connections, laminated flooring, and the facility is "load-shedding" safe! And will be ready by the end of this month, when we open the doors for business. :)

The rest of the facilities include a large Lapa & bar, furnished with comfortable couches and chairs, big enough to dance the night away or play games in all night long! We have MANY board games and lots of people dying to have some fun! Or there's a large fireplace feature were you can sit around and visit ALL night long if you want to. :) We have great "braai" (or barbeque) facilities, that we use for catering the evening meal with. What is South Africa without its BRAAI! :)
We also have a lovely salt pool that you can cool off in on hot days or nights with a bubbling "Jacuzzi/martini seat" where you can sit while enjoying the massaging effect of the water jets, while sipping drinks and just relaxing. :)

Our rates include being picked up and dropped off at the airport, but we also offer a "shuttle/ pick-me-up" service anywhere in and around the Jo'burg area for a minimal fee. We are close to all the major shopping centre's, like East Rand Mall, Festival Mall, Eastgate, Greenstone, Sandton City ect… where you can do everything from ice-skating to movies, from shopping to ten-pin bowling, from Action "mini" golf to casino's like Emperors Palace, Carnival and Monte Casino…. From live theater to rap jumping down our city buildings! …. Referring others who are visiting Jo'burg would be nice & should be FUN & rewarding! And the place you stay should make you feel like you are AT HOME! :)
So my dear, I'd love it if you would give us a try yourself sometime, I'm sure if you try us, you will come to LOVE us! :)
Lets turn passing strangers into lasting friends. :)
Kind Regards
Celeste

Hi Tan, Celeste here… :) I see you are from the Singapore area…. that's nice! Never been there, but hopefully one day I will have the chance to travel too… :) I'm sure I can still be of value to you on my side of the world, especially because of my industry... :)
I'm based in Edenvale, Johannesburg, South Africa... just 2 minutes from the International Airport to be exact, and the reason I made contact with you is because I'm launching a BnB Guest House, and would love to extend to you the invitation to utilize us whenever you are in the area... :) Especially when you want a special "run-away" spot for special occasions.... :) You know what they say... "a change is as good as a holiday!" :)

Well, I'd like my Guest House to become for you & your family or colleagues… literally a "home-away-from-home", where you are happy to be, comfortable and relaxed, whenever you travel up to Jo'burg. A place that is fun, flexible & safe to be in, without loosing the "perks" of living a "catered for" life-style :) I've tried hard to bring about a unique combination of ALL that, here in my OWN home.

We are a typical friendly South African family, including the granny and kids, hehehe (so definitely the "home" feel is there) that have a small but effective & beautiful Guest house, that boasts 3 x Double bedrooms-en suite with FULL bathrooms. It is private because it is situated in a "boomed-off" area, in a safe neighborhood, and rooms are separate from the main house, ensuring privacy within the environment as well. Breena BnB Guest House, is situated in Harmelia, Edenvale, just 2 minutes from the Airport, but OUTSIDE the "noise/landing zone" of the planes, that offers a "Bed and Breakfast" service, (AND offers dinner facilities if necessary), to travelers that want something more than just the "impersonal" hotel life style, experienced by most travelers, most of the time. It’s a place to "share space and enjoy good company" be treated like you ARE someone special! :)

I've combine a feel of "African Lodge" with the standard & professionalism of "Hotel" and combined it in a unique way that offers "up-market, catered-for accommodation" with a good, healthy dose of South African friendly hospitality!
Our rooms ( + 20m2+) boast Queen beds, tastefully decorated for the "discerning" corporate guest with a flare of Africa and a dash of luxury, LCD T.V.'s with full DSTV & DVD surround sound systems, bar fridge with Tea/coffee tray, hairdryer, Wireless internet connections, laminated flooring, and the facility is "load-shedding" safe! And will be ready by the end of this month, when we open the doors for business. :)

The rest of the facilities include a large Lapa & bar, furnished with comfortable couches and chairs, big enough to dance the night away or play games in all night long! We have MANY board games and lots of people dying to have some fun! Or there's a large fireplace feature were you can sit around and visit ALL night long if you want to. :) We have great "braai" (or barbeque) facilities, that we use for catering the evening meal with. What is South Africa without its BRAAI! :)
We also have a lovely salt pool that you can cool off in on hot days or nights with a bubbling "Jacuzzi/martini seat" where you can sit while enjoying the massaging effect of the water jets, while sipping drinks and just relaxing. :)

Our rates include being picked up and dropped off at the airport, but we also offer a "shuttle/ pick-me-up" service anywhere in and around the Jo'burg area for a minimal fee. We are close to all the major shopping centre's, like East Rand Mall, Festival Mall, Eastgate, Greenstone, Sandton City ect… where you can do everything from ice-skating to movies, from shopping to ten-pin bowling, from Action "mini" golf to casino's like Emperors Palace, Carnival and Monte Casino…. From live theater to rap jumping down our city buildings! …. Referring others who are visiting Jo'burg would be nice & should be FUN & rewarding! And the place you stay should make you feel like you are AT HOME! :)
So my dear, I'd love it if you would give us a try yourself sometime, I'm sure if you try us, you will come to LOVE us! :)
Lets turn passing strangers into lasting friends. :)
Kind Regards
Celeste

A sharp colleague of mine wrote this - Good read.


Our commercialisation efforts need to be more targeted and market-driven, and in Singapore's context, its being able to identify and tap into a regional demand. Whether that's for quality healthcare, aerospace MRO, professional services, etc, that's the billion dollar question. Quite amazingly, I've heard annecdotal lamentations that ST Eng, for example, has the capability to create just about any part of an aircraft (yes, literally any part), yet we do not have the ability to design and build a fully Made in Singapore aircraft (i.e. the real Singapore Flyer). Even the Chinese are beginning to move into this space; Airbus has recently opened its E$320mil A320 assembly factory in Tianjin. As for who will buy a Made in China A320, well... but the point is - there's the verve and audacity with the Chinese to take on such traditionally European or American strongholds (BMWs and Audis included), that if we don't step up and do so, we're forever lost...

Singapore is well honed in our abilities to do servicing, product modifications and incremental engineering improvements, but are weak with the creationist aspects... Ironic, if you see that most of our public R&D funding has gone into the "back end" research (academic and RIs), rather than to spur commercialisation.

Do we go the way of Taiwan and build capability ground up (ie. start from market, then work backwards to bluesky research), or continue to pour money into research with no requirement for "productisation". Is the continued "thirst for knowledge" (papers, patents, etc) going to be sufficient to see us through, our would we need a generation of savvy technopreneurs, to take these ideas to market whilst also having the ability to halt projects, if the market need isn't there?

Rethink by Nokia after their one-trick donkey (the 5800) flopped (and flopped big) and almost killed them in Q1 2009? =) The lesson there is - if you want to mimic Apple's iPhone model, you need to know what the market wants (market driven = demand-led), and have the
user interface and broader market (ie. the Apps developers) to back it up.

Commercialisation needs to be driven by wheeler-dealer sales & marketers,
not lawyers. :-) Lawyers ensure that the patents themselves are worded to
provide the needed coverage/protection. That's the primary function of
patents - defense of a concept/idea. IP is only a means to securitise an
idea, not monetise it, and hence should be pursued as a means to an end,
and not an end in itself.

Beyond the quick fix, we need to fundamentally rewire how we treat IP. Is
it more equitable to use the RIs as a proving grounds to train
scientists/research personnel for full-time positions (so that private
companies can quickly tap onto an available and operationally ready talent
pool), than fund RIs in tandem with our Universities with virtually
indistinguishable KPIs (papers, patents). Instead, I suggest that A* RIs
be asked to deliver on % sales from new product launches in last 5 yrs.
This is one of the toughest KPIs to deliver on consistently, coz it forces
a maniacal focus on the market, and adjust product development activities
accordingly to deliver. =)

If one takes a hard look at successful big MNCs (e.g. Apple, Google,
Microsoft, IBM, GE, Intel, Lenovo, HP, Nokia, Disney....). Besides having
visionary (often charismatic) leadership, invariably these are companies
with innovation at the core of their DNA. They also happen to sell
products/services that everybody wants - and want enough to pay good
premiums for (e.g. iPhone). In their highest form, these may even be
products that people need (e.g. Intel, Windows, etc); one-of-a-kind
differentiated products that change the way we do things or maybe even set
industry standards. Notably, many of these companies today are already at
the peak (some past peak) of the chart below. For example, GE famously
hived off its core to pursue the services route, arguably weakening the
company.